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Whether or not you get married, if you’re a woman, you need men in your life. If you’re a man, you need women in your life. Why? Because nobody holds the full image of God. Women get part of it, men get part of it, and we need each other. God wired it this way. God thought up gender. God thought up sex. And God thought up marriage. What a God!

Did you ever wonder why God made man and then woman a little bit later? Why didn’t he make them both at the same time?

I think he did it for Adam’s benefit. I think he wanted Adam to realize how much he needed women in his life.

Genesis 2:18 says, “It isn’t good for man to be alone; I will make a companion for him.”

You need companions in all different areas of your life. But there is nothing like the companionship of a marriage. It is in a relational class all by itself.

Here’s what Jesus had to say about it: “‘God made them male and female’ from the beginning of creation. This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one. Since they are no longer two but one, let no one split apart what God has joined together” (Mark 10:6-9 NLT, second edition).

That passage makes three major points about marriage:

1. Marriage is God’s plan. It’s not a tradition we can just throw out.

2. Marriage is between a man and a woman. Their body parts fit together for a purpose — the creation of everybody else.

3. Marriage is to be permanent. It’s meant to be for life.

Do you realize how radical those three statements are? It seems like most people don’t believe those statements any more. But it’s still the truth! It’s still the way God designed marriage. And just because we live in the real, not necessarily the ideal, doesn’t mean we get to say the ideal doesn’t exist.

The Daniel Plan Daily Devotional builds on the top essential—Faith—that has made The Daniel Plan doable and successful for thousands of people worldwide. A dream team of spiritual, fitness, and health professionals, including Rick Warren, Dr. Daniel Amen, Dr. Mark Hyman, and the Daniel Plan Wellness Faculty will help you continue your journey toward whole health and wellness.

Ultimately, The Daniel Plan Daily Devotional will change your life in the areas of faith, food, fitness, focus, and friends—the five essentials to transform your body, mind, and spirit from the inside out!

The Daniel Plan 365-Day Devotional Softcover Book is our gift to thank you for your support of Daily Hope.